Improvement in machines for separating fiber from plants



I. B. VOGEL,

MACHINE on SEPARATING FIBER mom PLANTS.

11 131382; Patentefi Aug. 22,1876.

Zzfiym: (j 12220))??? 0.70 MA I. o I .021 7 46 V %VM\ "nrrnn STATES PATENT QFFIGE.

JOHN B. V OGEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND WILLIAM LLOYD BOWBON, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR SEPARATING FIBER FROM PLAN TS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 18 1,382, dated August 22, 1876; application filed July 3, 1876.

plants, by breaking the rind and cellulose matter, and separating it from the fibrous body, leaving the latter in condition for use in the arts.

The invention consists in the combination of an endless apron, having suspending devices, with a pair of rollers, arranged for breaking and withdrawing the rind from the fiber, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation of myimproved decorticating-machine. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section through the operating mechanism, and Fig. 4 a side view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

The frame A of the machine serves to support two parallel fluted or ribbed drums or paddle-rollers, B and O, which are placed so near together that the projectingribs or blades c of the roller B will, in revolving, lap over the ribs or blades b of the roller 0, respectively, in substantially the manner indicated in the drawing. These two rollers are, preferably, of equal diameter, and are revolved in opposite directions, as by arrows in Fig. 4.

The rollers B O are geared together by suitable toothed wheels (1 e, as in Fig. 1, or derive their motion by other equivalent means. ff are two or more rollers, hung in the frame A, parallel to the rollers B and 0. They serve .to hold an endless apron, D, to which slow motion in direction of the arrow, shown above such apron in Fig. 3, is imparted.

cross-bars may be suspended lateral clamps E E, that serve to hold the ends of the tufts of fibrous stalks to be manipulated. Each clamp E should be about as long as the apron D is wide, and is composed of two plates that can be screwed or otherwise forced together, to clamp the fibrous stalks between them. Two or more hooks, c c, are on each clamp to suspend it from the cross-bar h, and allow its ready removal therefrom.

The stalks of China grass or other fibrous plant are in tufts, secured with their ends in the clamps E, and placed on the apron, as indicated in Fig. 3. The machine being set in motion, the apron gradually and slowly feeds the stalks between the rollers, holding what is above the rollers properly taut. The blades or ribs or of the roller B will, as they successively overlap the blades b of the roller G,

crush the rind of theplant, which rind when crushed, will be stripped off the fibrous body of the plant by the continued downward motion of the blades or ribs a b, that have served to crush it. After one pair of ribs or blades a b has acted upon a short length of the fibrous plant, the next succeeding pair of such ribs or blades will take hold of and act on a further section of the plant, and so forth, until the clamp E that holds the tuft has nearly reached the rollers B G. The clamp is then either opened to allow the tuft to pass entirely through the rollers,0r, remaining on the apron, it will draw the tuft up during the upward motion, and thereupon another tuft, held in another clamp, reaches the rollers, and is by them affected in manner described.

I claim as my invention-- 1. The combination of the endless apron D, having suspending devices h, with the rollers B and G, of a decorticating-machine, substantially as specified. V

2. In combination with the endless apron D and rollers B G, the clamping device E, ar-

ranged for use, substantially as herein shown and described. v

' JOHN B. VOGEL.

Witnesses:

W. L. BOWRON, ERNEsr G. WEBB. 

